Network functions virtualization (NFV) aims to implement functions of private physical network element devices of a wireless communications network by using storage and switching devices and an x86 server that are based on an information technology (IT) industry standard. On one hand, an IT device based on an x86 standard is cost-effective, so that substantial investment costs can be reduced for an operator. On the other hand, an open application programming interface (API) can help the operator obtain more flexible network capabilities.
FIG. 1 shows a basic architecture of a virtualized network in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the virtualized network mainly includes the following network elements: an network functions virtualization orchestrator (NFVO), a virtualized network function (VNF), a VNF manager (VNFM), and a virtualized infrastructure manager (VIM).
The NFVO is responsible for overall orchestration of virtualized network deployment (that is, network virtualization organization) and for allocation and reservation of a corresponding virtual resource.
The VNF is a main entity for network virtualization. The VNF virtualizes, by using a virtual resource provided by an network functions virtualization infrastructure (NFVI), various types of network elements of a network that the operator needs to virtualize and deploy. The VNFM virtualizes a corresponding function of the VNF according to a VNF catalog requirement, and establishes a basic connection and even a signaling channel and a service channel.
The VNFM is responsible for virtualization of a specific VNF (virtualization is performed according to a VNF catalog, and different VNF catalogs are controlled by using different VNFMs).
The VIM is configured to manage the NFVI and provide a virtual resource for virtualization of the VNF.
The NFVO is connected to an network management system/operation support system/business support system, operation and management system (NMS/OSS/BSS) by using an Os-Nfvo interface, is connected to the VNFM by using an Nfvo-Vnfm interface, and is connected to the VIM by using an Nfvo-Vi interface. The VNFM is connected to the VIM by using a vnfm-Vi interface, and is connected to the VNF by using a VeNf-Vnfm interface. The VNF is connected to the NFVI by using a Vn-Nf interface. The VIM is connected to the NFVI by using Nf-Vi interface.
The virtualized network shown in FIG. 1 is based on a virtualized system (for example, a cloud system), and the NFVO organizes and orchestrates different virtualized network element VNFs (virtualized network function) to implement virtualization deployment of different types of networks and implement an existing wireless communications system that requires different network hardware to be deployed in different locations according to different functions to implement different network services. In addition, because function network element deployment can be implemented on the basis of various types of general-purpose servers by using a software cloud deployment method, without restriction from man power and a hardware type, cost-effective, dynamic, and rapid network deployment can be implemented, and in a running process, performance and a type of a current deployed network can be changed at any time according to different network performance requirements and according to a requirement on different types of networks, so as to provide a flexible service capability for the operator more effectively.
However, on the virtualized network shown in FIG. 1, the NMS/OSS/BSS serves as an operation-level management system and is incapable of managing different types of VNF network elements (for example, network elements provided by different manufacturers), and on the virtualized network, there is no management system that is capable of managing various types of VNF network elements.